"After it was 3-1, they came back," Gwynn said, "and from that point on, we didn't play very good baseball. One thing we didn't do during the streak (winning 26 of 33) is beat ourselves.
"Now, we did, and it's magnified because of the importance of this loss."
Padre Notes
Padre first baseman Jack Clark, who has a baseball-sized lump in the abductor muscle of his thigh, was kept out of the lineup for the second consecutive game Monday, but is expected to return tonight. Clark received treatment before the game, and again during the third inning for the injury that he suffered Saturday night while rounding third base. Carmelo Martinez took his place at first, starting two consecutive games for the first time since Aug. 10-11. Although Clark likely won't be fully recovered until after the season, he said there's a 90% chance he'll play tonight. . . . Padre third-base coach Sandy Alomar suffered a back injury while getting off the team bus Sunday night, and still was in considerable pain Monday. He arrived early to the stadium Monday for treatment, lay on the clubhouse floor during batting practice and felt good enough by game time to take his position. . . . Padre third baseman Mike Pagliarulo said Monday that he will waive his right to demand a trade at the end of the season. "Maybe if I was somewhere else, somewhere I didn't want to play, I would," Pagliarulo said. "But not here. I definitely want to be back." Pagliarulo, according to the bylaws of the Basic Agreement, has the right to demand a trade within 15 days at the conclusion of the World Series because he has five years of major league service time and is not under contract for 1990. He is the only player on the Padres' roster with that option. . . . ...Reds third baseman Scotti Madison on Padre pitcher Andy Benes, who has won six consecutive decisions: "He's got the best stuff of any pitcher I've faced all season." . . . The negative aspect of Benes' brief major league season? It disqualified him from his rookie status in 1990. . . . Infielder Joey Cora, who was fielding balls during batting practice, got hit in the face on a ball that took a bad hop off the infield dirt. He was forced to miss the rest of batting practice, but was available to play during the game. . . . Padre left fielder Chris James was kept out of the lineup for the second consecutive game. He has a lifetime batting average of .190 against Reds starter Tim Leary, and is one for nine off him this season. . . . The Padres will play the second game of their three-game series against the Reds at 7:05 tonight. Dennis Rasmussen (9-10) and Jack Armstrong (2-2) are the scheduled starters. The last time the two faced each other, last Thursday in Cincinnati, neither recorded an out in the Padres' 11-7 victory.
